Stefan Mileschin

The Pro version of last year's Optimus G comes in two flavors: Japan gets a 5-inch 1080p phone, while Korea (and the US) is treated to a 5.5-inch phone at the same resolution, but with Qualcomm's latest mobile chip, the Snapdragon 600. We're getting to grips with the Korean flavor here at MWC and while we're still waiting on a launch dates more specific than Q2, we couldn't help taking this particular G Pro for a spin.

While the original wasn't particularly lacking in the battery department, that increase in resolution has been fortunately accompanied by a bigger battery, up from 2,100mAh to 3,140mAh in the Korean edition and 3,000mAh in the Japanese. Design-wise, the lines are softer, more curved and -- if we're honest -- more like the Galaxy S III. There's now a curved physical home button lodged beneath the screen, with capacitive back and menu buttons either side of it that light up with the faintest glow. The back of the phone now gently curves into the rest of the phone, with that eye-catching "crystal reflection" effect now subtly shading into the sides. The rear panel goes for a grid pattern that's more reminiscent of the Nexus 4 than it is of the Optimus G. It retains the same surprisingly light build quality of its predecessor however, that makes us feel like a short fall could render this device a useless pule of glass shards and plastic pieces.

After the break, you can check out some more of our impressions, alongside the obligatory hands-on video, of course.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/l...-pro-hands-on/